Nepia top box

What do you normally see in a piece of tissue paper? Is tissue something that’s useful but to be casually discarded without much thought once it’s been used? That may often be the case, but Japanese tissue maker Nepia has created a video which can hopefully change that and raise consumers’ appreciation for this ubiquitous paper product by showing how a piece of tissue can be changed into works of art. Viewers of the video from around the world have apparently been seriously impressed, giving the video a definite two-thumbs up, and we just had to share it with you, since we thought it looked … well, simply awesome!

The video, done in stop-motion animation featuring what has been described as “tissue craft art“, shows a piece of tissue paper being first turned into a tree, then into nine different animals, then into the form of a human being, before finally changing into a seed which sprouts into the tree seen in the beginning. And since Nepia wanted to make sure to express their appreciation of the trees from which tissue is made, the video ends with the phrase in Japanese “Great tissue comes from great trees. We thank our forests.” It’s quite a unique, not to mention visually striking, idea for an ad. You can easily imagine the tremendous amount of skill (and time and patience) that must have been involved in actually creating the various figures out of delicate tissue paper, and the message poignantly conveyed by the transformation ending with the original tree even brings to mind the expression “poetry in motion”.

▼ The tree, where it all starts and ends

Nepia tree

▼ The bird in brilliant motion taking off to flight

Nepia bird

▼ The form of the deer is pure grace and beauty

Nepia deer

▼ The movement of the dog is absolutely charming

Nepia dog

Not surprisingly, since the video was posted on YouTube earlier this month, people from different parts of the world have responded with a huge number of positive comments — including “Amazing Creativity!”, “Awesome!”, “Love it, very very cool!” and “Beautifully done!”– praising the video for its cool presentation and the intricacy of the tissue craft. And after seeing the video, we have to say we wholeheartedly agree.

Well, we guess tissue paper is  definitely one of those things that tend to be under-appreciated, so kudos to Nepia and the creative team behind the video for bringing the figures so vividly to life from just a single piece of tissue paper, and for reminding us of the value of trees and the forest environment in such an artistic way. In our opinion, this is one welcome case of eco-consciousness meets stylish art!

Oh, and if the tissue craft fascinated you, you can take a closer look at how the video was made in the clip below. Enjoy!

Source: YouTube  via ITmedia Inc. (Japanese)
Photos: YouTube